Shaun Clarance Warrick, 23, a former basketball player at the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore accused of shooting and/or stabbing three fellow students at off-campus housing communities in April, is in even bigger trouble after skipping a court appearance Friday for assault and burglary.

On February 21, 1998 at approximately 4:30 a.m. Williams went to the apartment of Dana Drake, located at 800 Dartmouth Road and shot her once in the back of the head with a .22 caliber handgun. Evidence produced at trial showed Williams had purchased a .22 caliber handgun several weeks prior to this murder and testimony revealed Williams stood to receive $100,000 from a life insurance policy. Assistant State’s Attorney Thomas Rafter of the Homicide Division prosecuted the case.

Anna Ditkoff is, by a four-to-one margin, leading the pack. This week she takes on her venerable Calvert Street rival, the workhorse of the warehouse... in this corner, the Dick of the Blotter, Richard Irwin! Ding Ding...

an unidentified man was found fatally stabbed in an alley about 6:25 a.m. in the 4000 block of Belvieu Ave. in Northwest Baltimore's West Arlington neighborhood;

a man was found shot dead and near a handgun around the corner for a burning house on the 400 block of Mosher St.,;

a man was found shot in a car in the 1900 block of Hillenwood Road in Northeast Baltimore's Perring Loch neighborhood at about 2:30 a.m.

Annie Linskey's article on our 114 homicides (up 10 from this time last year) is chock full of quotable quotes and nauseating facts. Sheila D. says violent crime is down, Lenny says the BPD is like a cheating husband, and a 13-year-old with a dead father says it's not safe to snitch.

Two episodes of the Blotter today. The first lists a man who was shot in the head in the 3000 block of Spaulding Ave., a Chevy that was riddled with bullets, and a woman who was arrested in the Southeastern for threatening her husband with a knife. The second lists a man who was choked and robbed on Eastern Ave. and a forced-entry robbery in Essex.

18-year-old Young Gorilla Family member Eric Tate pleaded guilty to killing rival gang member Anthony Taylor Jr. and his non-gang-affiliated friend, Adrian Holiday, last September.

DNA evidence may support James Owens Jr.'s claim that he didn't murder Colleen Williar 20 years ago, in spite of testimony from a co-defendent that Owens raped and killed the woman while the co-defendent watched and masturbated.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

At some point before on tuesday night before midnight (i think it was around 11:20, but I wasn’t paying attention to the time too closely), 30 to 50 shots rang out at the corner guilford and mt. royal, in front of the rehabbed firehouse, over the course of about fifteen seconds.

Two uninjured assailants fled on foot across the guilford bridge, turned right at Oliver, dumped a handgun in the back of a truck under the copycat building and continued to flee eastward. Multiple witnesses in the copycat building saw this. (a police car with flashing lights was under the JFX, parked, investigating the scene of a motorcycle fatality from the night prior, between 100 and 200 feet from the scene of the shooting).

Police, fire trucks, and paramedics responded to the scene of the shooting approximately 5 to 10 minutes later. While cordoning off the crime scene tending to the wounded, one shot in the head and the other (i think) shot in the back, police received a call from the attendant at the BP station, of two more victims at the corner of St Paul and Mt Royal. It seems, although I’m not sure, that these two victims fled scene of the shooting, and went to the BP station for help).

All told, there were 4 shooting victims. At this point, all were alive. Victims were taken to Maryland Shock Trauma. One victim, shot in the head, has since died.

Police expanded the perimeter of the investigation to include the scene of the shooting, the BP station, the guilford street bridge, under the copycat building and Oliver Street. Police helicopters scoped the area around the copycat for approx. an hour. Police detectives stayed in the area for approx. 2 hours scanning for evidence.

As of now, the police have in their possession the handgun dumped in the back of the truck (whether they have more guns: I don’t know). They do not have the assailants, although they have "promising leads,” which to me sounds like they know who they are. Now it is a matter of catching them and making the case stick.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

The governor wants to change arrest procedures in the city, cutting out the step of having prosecutors review cases. Said he, "Prosecutorial discretion not to pursue a case is often confused with an alleged absence of probable cause, which is then spun as a supposed false arrest."

Judge John Prevas sentenced Charles Patterson, 27, of the 600 block of N. Woodington Road to 15 years in prison today for multiple counts of robbery. On March 21, 2007, a Baltimore City jury convicted Patterson and Antwan Smith, 23, of the 6800 block of Lenbern Road of three counts of Robbery with a Dangerous or Deadly Weapon and one count of Attempted Robbery with a Dangerous or Deadly Weapon. They were also acquitted of the murder of Anthony Heck, probably because Heck was found with a loaded gun in his hand. On May 3 Smith was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in these crimes. The story:

On October 23, 2005, the defendants robbed or attempted to rob Lamar Davis, James Anderson, Charlotte Johnson, and Tycara Johnson in the area of 4100 block of Cleve Court of the Brooklyn Homes in South Baltimore, Maryland. During this robbery spree, Anthony Heck came upon the defendants and shot at them from a distance. Antwan Smith allegedly returned fire, hitting and causing the death of Heck.

Judge Robert Kershaw sentenced Edwin Wright, 25, to 25 years in prison without the possibility of parole following a conviction for cocaine possession and possession with intent to distribute. Details:

On May 6, 2006, at approximately 8:40 PM, a police officer was in a covert location, using binoculars, with a clear and unobstructed view of the 1100 block of Preston Street. At that time the officer observed an unknown male approach Wright, speaking briefly with him. The conversation ended with the unknown male handing Wright U.S. currency in bill form. Wright then reached down into his right front sock and pulled out a vial containing a white substance suspected cocaine, and handed it to the male who then left the area. Search incident to arrest of Wright revealed five vials of cocaine in his right sock. At the time of this incident Wright was on probation for two other felony drug cases. Additionally, Wright is pending a second degree assault case from an October 6, 2006 incident in which he allegedly punched a police officer several times in the face during a traffic stop. Wright has an extensive violence arrest record and therefore the State asked for this enhanced penalty.

Perverterium:The DOJ called the case against Patrick Bogan of Edgewood "one of the most significant child pornography cases ever prosecuted in Maryland due to the sheer volume of child pornography possessed by the defendant." The gymnastics instructor had 800 videotapes, a hard-drive with alphabetized and categorized folders, 21 pairs of girls' underpants, a storage locker... anyway, Bogan has pled guilty.

I hope you've taken your blood-pressure meds today and have the puke bucket handy, Galt ...The city has a $19 million budget surplus, and not a plug nickel will go towards staffing or supporting the police department... or for that matter anything that could even vaguely be construed as helpful (other than maybe the 3% allotted to help feed the homeless)Instead of ---> It'sPicking up litter --> billboards against litterAlleviating pain --> painfully shiteous public artEducation for our kids --> a fountain with "five rows of jets and lights" for kids to run throughAttempting to determine how more than 1,000+ potential crime victims died --> erecting statue "honoring" long-dead mayor

Monday, May 21, 2007

Hi, I live in Canton on the corner of Ellwood and O'donnell. Around 2 in the morning this past Saturday a drunk person in a van hit a pedestrian and then hit 2 or 3 cars and sped off. A lot of police and ambulance came immediately and I couldnt see if the victim was really hurt... because they whisked him away so fast. Do you know anything on this story?

On Friday the Baltimore City Grand Jury indicted Nicholas Brunson, 20, of the 2600 block of W. Cold Spring Lane on charges of first-degree murder, deadly weapon and first-degree arson. Court documents allege on April 12, 2007 Nicholas Brunson was identified as the suspect in the murder and arson incident. The body of an unknown male, later identified as 16-year-old Brent Flanagan, was found beaten, stabbed and body partially dismembered in a house fire in the 2600 block of W. Cold Spring Lane. It is alleged the two had an altercation during the morning hours that later escalated to the incident. It is also alleged both Flanagan and Brunson are "Bloods" gang members.

Three AAC twentysomethings, Thomas Sparacino, Randy Garner and Brittney Pheobus, were arrested for a drive-by shooting in Friendship (the intended victim wasn't hurt). When police went to arrest the trio they also found firearms, including an assault rifle, and child pornography.